10 Upgrades to Dalua’s DC Great White Protein Skimmer

The Great White from Dalua Australia is one of the best value protein skimmers in the reef aquarium hobby and now Dalua is doing the same for controllable DC skimmers. The new Great White DC skimmer is much more than just a DC powered version of the original sporting ten improvements to the design for even better performance and ease of use.

Building on the success and widespread popularity of the original Great White skimmers, Dalua doubled the number of sizes in the range and developed four different models of the Great White DC. The larger GW10 was probably the most popular size in the original line and we’ll be comparing it to the similarly sized Great White DC12 to see all the ways that the new models have been improved.

1. DC Needle Wheel Pump

The inclusion of a DC Pump is clearly the most obvious new improvement to the Great White Skimmer offering improved performance, quieter operation, and reduced power draw. The larger needle wheel also draws in more air than the similarly sized AC pump so there’s even more foam to carry away all the unwanted nutrients.

2. Controller w/ Functions

Just because most DC powered pumps are controllable, it’s actually much cheaper to make a non-controllable, one-speed DC pump. You would still get the primary benefits of reduced power and silent operation, but you need some electronics to make them speed up or ramp down, or go into pause/feed mode for a period of time.

3. 3D Printed Venturi Valve

Besides the controllable needle wheel pump, perhaps one of the most interesting new improvements to the new Great White DC skimmers is the use of a 3D printed venturi valve. By printing their own aspirating mechanism for each pump and skimmer model, Dalua can do a lot more fine tuning to the performance of the skimmer getting the ratio of the air/water mixture just right.

4. Larger Thumb Screws

The thumb screws included in the base of the Great White DC skimmer are much larger and much easier to handle, especially for guys like us with big sausage fingers.

5. Bayonet Neck Fitting

The new Bayonet locking neck is very smooth and very easy to engage and disengage which will make removing and replacing the cup easier than ever, and possible to do with one hand on the GW12.

6. Reduced Clearance Required

The GW12 DC is about one inch shorter than the GW10 but due to the new bayonet neck fitting there’s even less clearance required to remove and replace the collection cup. The GW10 is 23 inches tall but requires an extra inch of clearance, 24 inches or 60cm in total while the GW12 is 22 inches tall, but only needs 22.5″ of clearance; this sounds like a small difference but it’s the best approach to pack a ton of power into a modern, compact all in one sump for smaller reef tank setups.

7. Wider Neck

The width of the neck on the GW12DC may only be half an inch wider in diameter than the GW10, but this translates to a 30% increase in the surface area. The wider neck works better in regular seawater salinity environments making it capable of producing thicker foam, but most of all it should be much more stable at skimming marine aquarium water.

8. Larger Reaction Volume

The wider neck is not limited to the collection cup as the conical portion of the body is also wider in cross section at the top. This wider path also creates a larger reaction volume for more reaction time, and a skimmer that is generally better at processing a foam of air & water.

9. Larger Drain Hole

Since the Dalua Great White DC 12 can produce more skimmate than ever before, the larger drain hole will make it simpler for users to use a protein skimmer waste collector remotely from the primary filtration area.

10. Integrated Air Silencer

The new integrated air silencer is a circular ring that forms the bayonet where the cup locks into the body of the skimmer. Unlike typical small air silencers the circular design is concentric and reduces the noise of the air intake which is more important than ever since the GW12 pulls in an estimated 50% more air than its predecessor.

Jake Adams has been an avid marine aquarist since the mid 90s and has worked in the retail side of the marine aquarium trade for more than ten years. He has a bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and has been the managing editor of ReefBuilders.com since 2008. Jake is interested in every facet of the marine aquarium hobby from the concepts to the technology, rare fish to exotic corals, and his interests are well documented through a very prolific career of speaking to reef clubs and marine aquarium events, and writing articles for aquarium publications across the globe. His primary interest is in corals which Jake pursues in the aquarium hobby as well as diving the coral reefs of the world.